Hot Prospect Profile: NOLAN REIMOLD

Posted by Jeremy on April 30, 2009 under Hot Prospect Profile | Be the First to Comment

Love the mullet!

What I wrote about Reimold on Hot-Prospects.net on 11/21/2008…

O’s fans got a dose of what Reimold can do when fully healthy. Reimold battered AA pitching this season to the tune of a .284 25 HR 84 RBI 87 runs scored. Reimold has a power hitters frame at 6-4 210 lb. that is deceptively athletic. His right-handed swing generates easy power to all fields and he controls the strike zone effectively, earning 62 BB this season. Reimold’s success has continued in the Arizona Fall League where he started slowly but has come back to hit .273 with 4 HR and 18 RBI in 24 games.  Defensively, he has good range and a cannon arm built for RF. The main detractor to Reimold’s success has been his proneness to injury, though his healthy ‘08 season is cause for optimism. Additionally, due to his advanced age, Nolan will have added pressure to make a positive MLB impact earlier than many younger prospects.  Failure to do so may relegate him to the dreaded role of 4th outfielder or, even worse, AAAA player.

2009 Projection: Expect Reimold to get plenty of AB’s in spring training with an outside shot of earning a spot on the O’s opening day rosters.  More likely, Reimold will start 2009 at AAA with a promotion to Baltimore happening soon.  Watch to see how well Reimold plays this spring.  If he hits well, there is a shot that he could find his way onto the roster in a possible platoon position with O’s LF Luke Scott.  A future outfield of Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Reimold should give Orioles fans ample reasons to be excited about their team’s future.

UPDATE: Reimold put up big numbers in spring training in a limited period of time going 9-28 with 4 HR 8 RBI and 2 SB while earning a respectible 4 BB/5K ratio.  Regardless of his hot start, he was sent to AAA Norfolk in mid-March as there was no room for him on Baltimore’s roster.  Fast forward to today and we find that Reimold is tearing apart International League pitching to the tune of a .403 BA with 6 HR 19 RBI 4 SB and 14 runs scored in just 19 games.  The left field platoon of Felix Pie (.157 BA 1 HR 2 RBI) and Ty Wigginton (.205 1 HR 8 RBI) has been lackluster at best leaving O’s Manager Dave Trembley to say about Reimold “I talked to our scouts about him. He’s off to a real nice start and I hope it continues because he’s a guy that we all feel can help us. When that is, I’m not sure, but I know he is probably a lot further along than we all anticipated at this particular point in time.”

Bringing up Reimold on June 1st seems to be the logical choice, though his bat may force himself into the lineup much sooner.  At 25 years old, Nolan has the polish that several other promising minor leaguers lack.  Match that with his solid plate discipline and there is much reason to believe that he will not struggle in the same way that several other younger, more aggressively pushed prospects do once they make their major league debuts.  I expect that Reimold will arrive and make significant offensive contributions to an already talented Orioles linuep.

The eBay market for his products is starting to heat up as the prices of his first year 2005 Bowman Chrome Draft cards have risen from the $0.50-1.00 levels of a couple months ago to the $2.00-3.00 range now.  His 2007 Bowman Heritage autos have also jumped somewhat during that same period of time from $4.00-6.00 to $10.00-12.50 today. 

Exponential price increases are always a good thing if you are an investor and bummers if you are a prospective buyer.  I think there is still quite a bit of room for growth in Reimold’s cards, though, as history has shown that the largest market jumps for rookie cards happen during short productive periods following a major league debut.  The question that a prospective buyer must mull over is whether or not the player, in this case Nolan Reimold, will succeed or fail during that window of time and, if they succeed, how will the market respond?

My gut tells me that the current eBay values are about half of what they will be during the one month window following his major league debut.  Trembley has indicated that when Reimold is called up, he will be called up to play every day.  That should allow Nolan to establish a firm foundation of continuity and allow for him to confidently build on positive performances-a luxury that he wouldn’t necessarily have if he was relegated to a platoon role.

Let’s see how my aggressive projection pans out!  I have a feeling that we will all be founding out sooner rather than later.  

Looking for some good Reimold deals?  Here’s just a little sampling on what’s on eBay right now.

4/29 High-A Minor League Report

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Matt Spencer homered for the fifth time and drove in five runs while Mariners OF prospect Joe Dunigan blasted two HR’s to up his total to seven for the season.  Lonnie Chisenhall continues to swing a hot bat, hitting his fourth and driving in two and Dominic Brown’s bat is starting to show life as he hit his second.  Jupiter’s Jeff Allison tossed a six innings gem allowing just one hit and striking out eight.  His start to the ‘09 season is one of baseball’s more triumphant stories as it looks like he is making great strides in his recovery from drug addiction.

Today’s top prospect is Kinston Indians 1B Matt McBride.  The 23 year old Lehigh alum blasted two HR and four RBI while scoring three times.  Last season, McBride played at three different levels but only accrued 165 AB as injuries cut into his production.  This past fall he participated in the Hawaiian Winter League where his .285 BA with 3 HR 22 RBI and 11 doubles in 33 games.  McBride has a solid build and excellent plate discipline that allows for him to put up potentially excellent power numbers with a high OBP.  Yesterday’s performance boosted McBride’s ‘09 season line to .405 with 5 HR 25 RBI 10 doubles and 17 runs scored in his first 20 games.

High-A Player of the Day—MATT MCBRIDE

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Darren Ford—2-4 HR(2) RBI 2B
• Buster Posey—2-4 2B RBI
• Joe Dunigan 2-4 2 HR(7) 2 RBI
• Adolfo Gonzalez—2-3 HR(1) 2 RBI 2B
• Felix Carrasco—2-3 HR(3) 4 RBI 2B
• Beamer Weems—2-5 2B RBI R
• Danny Payne—2-2 R RBI 3 BB
• Jeremy Moore—2-3 HR(2) 2 RBI BB 2R
• Efren Navarro—4-5 2B 2R RBI
• Ed Easley—3-5 R RBI
• Matt Spencer—2-5 HR(5) 5 RBI
• Lonnie Chisenhall—1-3 HR(4) 2 RBI BB 2R
• Matt McBride—3-4 2 HR(5) 4 RBI 3R
• Jordan Danks—2-4 2B 2R BB RBI
• Christian Marrero—3-4 2 2B 2R RBI
• Brent Morel—1-3 HR(5) 2 RBI 2R BB SB(7)
• Cody Johnson—1-4 HR(8) 2 RBI
• Ben Revere—3-5 R SB(11)
• Curt Smith—2-4 HR(4) RBI
• Greg Sexton—2-4 HR(1) 3 RBI BB
• Mark Thomas—3-4 2 2B 2R RBI
• Darin Mastroianni—2-4 R RBI SB(15)
• Dominic Brown—1-4 HR(2) RBI
• Michael Durant—2-2 HR(1) 3 RbI
• Ike Davis—3-6 2B 2R

Pitching:

• Brant Rustich—5 IP H BB 7K
• Angel Calero—6 IP 3H ER BB 7K
• Jeff Allison—6 IP H 2 BB 8K
• Bryan Morris—6 IP 3H 2 UER BB 4K W (1-2)
• Edgar Osuna—7 IP 6H ER 8K W (2-2)
• Mike McCardell—7 IP 5H ER 4K W (2-2)
• David Kopp—5 IP 3H 4K

4/29 AA Minor League Report

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There wasn’t much to report today in the AAA ranks so I will skip over it for today and head on over to the AA side of the ledger.  Josh Reddick hit HR number six and Ty Flowers contributed his fourth.  Andrew Lambo had a big day at the plate collecting three hits, including his third HR, three RBI and two runs scored.  Adrian Cardenas drove in five as Midland overcame Corpus Christi first baseman’s John Van Ostrand’s two HR four RBI day.  On the bump, Brandon Erbe got into the win column with six innings of shutout ball, Vance Worley tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out seven to earn his second win.

Today’s top prospect is Chicaco Cubs righthanders Jay Jackson.  The 2008 9th rounder surrendered one run over seven innings walking three and striking out two while going 2-2 at the plate with his first professional HR.  The 21 year old Jackson pitched at three levels last season for the Cubs compiling a 4-2 record with a 2.66 ERA and 13 BB/72 K over just 50 innings.  This season has been a different story for Jackson as prior to his performance yesterday, he has become quite hittable at the AA level and has struggled with his control.  Keep an eye on his performance as the season progresses as he is an intriguing arm in a system that doesn’t have many.

AA Player of the Day—JAY JACKSON

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Miguel Abreu—5-5 2B 2R
• Andrew Lambo—3-4 HR(3) 2 RBI 2B 3R BB
• Jaime Hoffmann—2-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Darwin Barney—3-5 2 RBI
• Tyler Flowers—2-4 HR(4) 2 RBI 2B 2R
• Dayan Viciedo—1-5 2B R 2 RBI
• Gordon Beckham—1-4 2B RBI R
• Cyle Hankerd—3-3 2B BB
• Ricardo Sosa—2-4 HR(4) RBI
• Josh Thole—2-4 2B BB
• Lucas Duda==2=3 2B BB
• Josh Reddick—1-5 HR(6) RBI
• Aaron Bates—2-4 HR(1) RBI
• Michael Taylor—3-4 2B R SB(5)
• Leonard Davis—3-5 HR(3) 2 RBI
• Marvin Lowrance—3-5 2 2B R
• Beau Mills—3-5 2 2B 2R
• Carlos Santana—2-3 2 2B 3 RBI 2R 2 BB
• Adrian Cardenas—3-5 3B 3R 5 RBI
• Chris Carter—1-3 3R 2 RBI BB
• Josh Horton—3-5 2B R 3 RBI
• Josh Donaldson—2-4 3B 3 RBI 2R BB
• Drew Locke—3-5 2B 2R RBI
• James Van Ostrand—3-5 2 HR(4) 4 RBI 2R
• Daryl Jones—2-6 R RBI SB(5)
• Brett Wallace—2-5 R RBI BB
• Dan Delasco—4-6 2B RBI R
• Ty Henley—3-6 3B R 2 RBI
• Hank Conger—2-4 2B R RBI
• Justin Smoak—2-5 R
• Brian McFall—2-5 2B 2 RBI 2R BB

Pitching:

• Nate Culp—7 IP 5H 2K
• Brandon Erbe—6 IP 3H BB 3K W (1-3)
• Jay Jackson—7 IP 4H ER 3 BB 4K W (1-3)….2-2 HR(1) RBI
• Lucas Harrell—7 IP 8H ER 6K W (2-0)
• Vance Worley—7 IP 3H BB K W (2-0)
• Mark Rzepcynski—5 IP 4H 3 BB 8K W (4-1)
• James Adkins—6 IP 6H 2 ER 2 BB 2K

4/28 Low-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on April 29, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Michael Almanzar hit his third HR of the season and Rebel Ridling blasted his second.  Most of the notable performances happened on the mound as top prospects Casey Kelly, Rick Zagone and Ethan Martin each punched out seven in five innings of work.  Brett Lorin continues to dominate, tossing seven scoreless innings, but it was Cubs right-handed hurler Chris Archer taking home top honors with his five innings of one-hit, eight strikeout ball.

Archer features a 90-93 MPH fastball that has good late run and a power curveball that has the makings of a swing and miss pitch and a circle change that seems to be progressing into another potential plus pitch.  The bugaboo with Archer has been his control.  Last season, Archer walked 82 hitters and threw 18 wild pitches in 115 IP.  This season continues to be a struggle as he has accrued 11 walks in 17 innings but has held Midwest League hitters to a miniscule .132 BA.  Command is something that can be acquired through work on establishing consistent pitching mechanics and release points.  If the 20 year old Cubbie can harness this, he could rise quickly.  “IF” is an oft-overused and scary word.

Low-A Player of the Day—CHRIS ARCHER

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Nate Recknagel—2-3 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Jeremy Tice—2-3 HR(2) 2 RBI BB 2B
• Michael Almanzar—1-1 HR(3) RBI Bb
• Oscar Tejeda—2-3 RBI R BB
• Scott Robinson—2-5 2R SB(10)
• James Cesario—2-4 HR(1) RBI 2R
• Harold Garcia—1-3 HR(1) RBI
• Joe Mahoney—2-4 2B R 2 SB(7)
• L.J. Hoes—2-3 2B RBI
• Albert Cartwright—2-2 HR(2) 2 RBI 2 BB 2 SB(3)
• Jay Austin—2-4 2B R RBI
• Kevin Mattison—2-3 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R BB SB(3)
• Rebel Ridling—3-3 HR(2) 2 RBI
• Evan Bigley—2-4 2 RBI
• Jaff Decker—1-3 2B 2 RBI 2 BB 2R
• Rossmel Perez—2-2 2B 2R RBI
• Jake Elmore—1-3 GS HR(3) 4 RBI
• Mike McDade—1-3 HR(2) 3 RBI 2R BB
• Terry Serrano—2-3 HR(1) RBI 2B BB SB(4)

Pitching:

• Brett Lorin—7 IP 4H 5K
• Trevor Hardin—7 IP 3H BB 3K W(3-1)
• Ethan Martin—5 IP 3H 2 ER BB 7K
• Casey Kelly—5 IP 9H 2 ER BB 7K W(3-0)
• Fabian Williamson—4 IP BB 4K SV(1)
• Charles Leesman—7 IP 8H 2 ER 2 BB 3K W(3-0)
• Rick Zagone—6 IP 3H ER BB 7K W(2-1)
• Ross Seaton—7 IP 4H 2 BB 3K W(3-1)
• Kyle Kaminska—5 IP 4H ER 2 BB 6K W(2-1)
• Shane Dyer—6 IP 3H 2 BB 2K
• Manny Flores—6 IP 5H UER BB 4K L(1-2)
• Chris Carpenter—6 IP 2H 3 BB 3K W(1-1)
• Bobby Lanigan—5 IP 7H 4K W(2-0)
• Chris Archer—5 IP H 2 BB 8K W(1-0)
• Simon Castro—4.1 IP 3H ER BB 7K

4/28 High-A Minor League Report

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There were performances-a-plenty that could be found merely in San Jose’s 17 run barrage against Lancaster.  Speedster Darren Ford racked up four hits and five RBI, Buster Posey hit his fifth HR, Conor Gillaspie racked up four hits and five RBI, Roger Kieschnick added three hits and three RBI and, oh yeah, Thomas Neal hit for the cycle and scored four runs.  In other action, Yefri Carvajal hit his third HR, Logan Forsythe and Luis Exposito each hit their second and Jesus Montero blasted two dingers. 

None of these performances can hold a candle to the performance of 20 year old Brewers prospect Evan Anundsen who went the distance in a no-hit effort against Daytona walking just one and striking out 10.  Andundsen has accrued a 2-2 record with a 1.44 ERA and 8 BB/25 K in his first four starts.  Anundsen is a finesse-type pitcher with a fastball that sits in the high 80’s, a curve and change.  He induces a great number of ground ball outs (2.71/FO in ‘08) and efficiently controls the strike zone.  There aren’t any cards of Anundsen’s out right now and, while this performance was truly dominant, he doesn’t profile as a dominant front-line pitcher at the major league level.  Regardless, when 2009 is all said and done, this performance will go down as one of the season’s best.

High-A Player of the Day—EVAN ANUNDSEN

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Darren Ford—4-7 2B 5 RBI
• Buster Posey—2-6 HR(5) RBI
• Thomas Neal—4-5 (CYCLE) HR(4) 2B 3B RBI 4R BB
• Conor Gillaspie—4-5 2 2B 4 RBI 3R BB
• Roger Kieschnick—3-5 3 RBI 2R 3B BB
• Alex Liddi—4-5 2B 2R
• Kuo Hui Lo—2-4 2B 2 RBI BB R
• Steven Caseres—3-4 3R
• Christian Lara—3-4 HR(1) 3 RBI 3R
• Logan Forsythe—2-3 HR(2) RBI 2R 2 BB
• Yefri Carvajal—1-5 HR(3) 2 RBI
• Jeremy Moore—3-4 RBI SB(3)
• Andrew Romine—2-4 2B R RBI
• Kyle Greene—2-4 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R
• Charlie Blackmon—3-6 3B R SB(6)
• Mitch Moreland—3-5 HR(4) 2 RBI BB
• Kraig Binick—3-5 HR(3) 3 RBI SB(6)
• Kyle Shelton—2-3 2 2B 3R
• Luis Exposito—1-3 HR(2) 2 RBI BB
• Tim Fedroff—3-4 RBI R
• Matt McBride—2-4 RBI R
• Pedro Alvarez—2-6 R 2 RBI
• Cody Johnson—1-4 HR(7) RBI
• Johnny Giavotella—2-5 3B 2R
• Jeff Bianchi—2-3 RBI R BB SB(4)
• David Espinosa—2-3 HR(1) 2 RBI BB
• Michael Burgess—2-4 R SB(5)
• Jesus Montero—2-4 2 HR(4) 2 RBI 2R
• Caleb Gindl—2-3 RBI BB
• Ben Revere—3-4 RBI 2 BB SB(10)
• Curt Smith—3-6 2 RBI
• Shane Peterson—3-6 2B R SB(1)
• Greg Sexton—2-3 2 RBI BB R
• Fidel Hernandez—4-6 3R
• Dominic Brown—3-4 3B 3 RBI BB
• Freddy Galvis—2-5 2B 2R BB
• John Tolisano—2-5 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R
• Eric Thames—2-4 2B 2R RBI
• Ike Davis—1-2 HR(1) RBI 2 BB
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis—3-5 HR(2) 2 RBI 2B 2R

Pitching:

• Jeremy Horst—6 IP 5H 2 BB 5K
• David Newmann—5.1 IP 3H ER 2 BB 9K
• Tyler Robertson—4 IP 2H 2 ER 4 BB 5K
• Evan Anundsen—9 IP 0H BB 10K W(2-2)
• Wilkin De La Rosa—5 IP 3H BB 7K W(1-0)
• Tim Bascom—6 IP 7H 2 ER 2K W(2-2)
• Chris Withrow—5 IP 6H 3 ER 3 BB 7K W(2-1)
• Patrick McAneney—5 IP 3H BB 7K W(3-0)
• Michael Kirkman—6 IP 6H 2 ER BB 4K

4/28 AA Minor League Report

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Juan Francisco stung the ball again with three hits, including his fourth HR, and two RBI.  Rhyne Hughes hit HR number seven and pitchers Hector Rondon, George Kontos, and Bryan Augenstein all threw gems to lead their respective teams to victory.

Today’s top prospect is toolsy Mariners outfielder Greg Halman.  The native of the Netherlands has struggled out of the gate this season but Tuesday’s performance was extraordinary as he blasted two homeruns and six RBI.  Halman has all the potential to be a 30/30 man at the major league level, but his plate discipline remains raw and renders him less effective against more polished pitchers.  Nevetheless, Halman’s big day propelled him to second place in the MiLB HR race with eight.  Tuesday’s effort raises his ‘09 average to .208 and one only needs to look at his 4 BB/32 K ratio in his first 19 games to see why the average is so low.  Halman doesn’t turn 22 until late August, which leaves ample reason to believe that he can make adjustments to his plate discipline and begin to fulfill his massive potential.  However, several other young promising prospects have been down this road before and have fallen by the wayside.  Buyer beware.

AA Player of the Day—GREG HALMAN

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Juan Francisco—3-4 HR(4) 2 RBI 3B 2R
• Zack Cozart—2-4 2B RBI R BB
• Wellington Castillo—2-4 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R
• Desmond Jennings—3-5 RBI R
• Rhyne Hughes—1-5 HR(7) 2 RBI
• Josh Thole—2-4 2B 2R BB
• Lucas Duda—3-4 2B 2R BB
• Josh Reddick—2-5 2B R
• Lars Anderson—1-4 2R RBI BB
• Jim Negrych—3-4 2B BB
• Scott Scram—3-5 2 2B 3 RBI R
• Juan Portes—2-4 2R 2 RBI
• Jamie Hoffmann—5-5 2R SB(4)
• Chris Carter—3-5 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Josh Donaldson—2-5 HR(1) 3 RBI
• Adrian Cardenas—2-5 2B RBI R
• Justin Smoak—1-2 2B R 2 BB
• Concepcion Rodriguez—2-4 2B 2R
• Ezequiel Carrera—3-3 3B 3R RBI
• Greg Halman—2-5 2 HR(8) 6 RBI
• Matt Mangini—1-5 HR(1) 2 RBI

Pitching:

• Troy Patton—6 IP 6H 2 ER BB 5K
• Hector Rondon—6.2 IP 6H ER BB 9K W(4-0)
• George Kontos—6 IP 3H 2 BB 8K W(1-1)
• Travis Banwart—6 IP 5H 2 UER BB 2K W(3-0)
• Blake Johnson—6 IP H BB 2K W(1-2)
• Keith Weiser—6.2 IP 6H ER 6K
• Bryan Augenstein—7 IP 3H 3 BB 6K W(1-0)
• Aaron Poreda—6.1 IP 5H 2 ER 2 BB 3K L(1-3)

4/28 AAA Minor League Report

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The amazing Jake Fox has done it again!  HR number 12 sailed into the cool Nashville night leaving me to wonder how long Mr. Fox can keep up this torrid pace.  Jeff Clement, Kyle Blanks, and John Mayberry all hit HR’s and Memphis’ Blake Hawksworth tossed eight innings of two hit ball. 

Today’s top player is San Francisco Giants 1B prospect Jesus Guzman.  The former Mariner and Athletic farm hand went 2-4, homering in his third straight game and collecting four RBI.  Guzman’s bat has long been his calling card, but his defense has always left much to be desired and has been the biggest detriment to his development as a pro.  He seems to have found a home at 1B, but one has to wonder just how great the opportunities will be for him in the Bay Area as super slugging prospect Angel Villalona seems to be on a fast track.  There is a glimmer of hope in the short term for Guzman, though, as current San Fran first baseman Travis Ishikawa has struggled in the early going to replicate the power and batting average he boasted during spring training.  A continued slump may just try the Giants’ patience enough to call Guzman up to give the 24 year old Venezuelan some platoon at bats against LHP’s.  This is certainly a situation to monitor closely in the ensuing weeks.

AAA Player of the Day—JESUS GUZMAN

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Jake Fox—2-4 HR(12) 2 RBI 2B
• Mat Gamel—2-5 RBI
• Alcides Escobar—2-5 2R SB(11)
• Angel Salome—2-4 2B 2 RBI R
• Julio Borbon—3-4 2B BB R
• Tyler Greene—3-4 2B BB R
• Jeff Clement—2-5 HR(3) RBI
• Chris Pettit—4-5 3B R
• Josh Whitesell—4-5 2 RBI R
• Jesus Guzman—2-4 HR(4) 4 RBI 2B
• Drew Stubbs—3-5 2B R SB(1)
• Adam Rosales—2-4 2 RBI R
• Wes Hodges—3-5 2B R
• Wilkin Ramirez—4-5 2 2B R
• Reid Brignac—2-3 2R 2 BB
• John Jaso—1-5 HR(1) 2 RBI
• John Mayberry Jr.—1-4 HR(5) 3 RBI
• Matt Wieters—1-4 2 RBI

Pitching:

• Blake Hawksworth—8 IP 2H BB 3K W(2-2)
• Wade Davis—5.1 IP 3H 3 ER 3 BB 3K W(2-0)

Hot Prospect Profile: JAKE FOX

Posted by Jeremy on April 28, 2009 under Hot Prospect Profile | Be the First to Comment

Yesterday, Iowa Cubs slugger Jake Fox deposited two more balls into the cheap seats to boost his MiLB-leading total to 11 HR.  Fox’s numbers through the first 18 games (.443 BA 11 HR 29 RBI 21 runs scored) are legendary, but is it enough to sustain or increase the hobby heat that he has generated over the past couple of weeks?

Last season Fox played at AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa combining to hit .287 with 31 HR 105 RBI 39 doubles and 93 runs scored.  Most of his success was at Tennessee and his struggles to command the strike zone at Iowa (2 BB/31 K in 29 games) played a large part in his omission from a September Wrigley Field call up.  This season is an entirely different story, though as the former Michigan Wolverine impressed Chicago Cubs brass by hitting .350 with 4 HR and 16 RBI in spring training before tearing it up in his second stint at Iowa.

Currently, the Chicago Cubs are well set at 1B with perennial All-Star and Gold Glover Derrek Lee handling the duties, but the outfield offers some opportunities for Fox’s proliferation.  While Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome have been rock solid at the corners and Micah Hoffpauir has been quite effective as a left-hand hitting fourth outfielder, the Cubs could decide to recall Fox if (and when?) the tremendously disappointing Milton Bradley goes on the DL. 

The current eBay market for Fox’s cards has gone from non-existent to pleasantly warm over the past couple of weeks.  His premium card is undoubtedly his 2003 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres autograph which commands a current eBay price of $22-25 each.  Aside from that he has first year base cards from the once popular ‘03 Prospect Premieres set that sell for $1.00-1.25 each. 

Fox also has non-autographed cards in the 2007 Bowman Sterling set that have not had any eBay sales over the past two weeks.  This trend will not continue.  Expect to pay $2.50-4.00 for these cards right now and possibly more if he catches a break with the Cubbies.

BUY OR SELL: The autographs are really the only cards of his generating any considerable market attention right now and at their prices, it seems like a good sell.  His long term opportunities with the Cubbies will be limited as he is a right handed, one dimensional weapon in the same vein as other sluggers like Chip Cannon, Dallas McPherson and others.  On the other hand, his lower end base cards are at prices that could be nice value buys to hold on to for a brief period until Fox launches a couple of balls over the ivy at Wrigley. 

At that point….well….you know what to do.

4/27 High-A Minor League Report

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Pedro Alvarez and Freddie Freeman squared off against each other yesterday and each talleyed a homerun for their respective teams.  Jason Castro went deep for the third time as did Roger Kieschnick.  Jordan Danks and James Shuck each rapped three hits and scored multiple times as well.  On the mound, Charles Shirek tossed seven shutout innings, striking out eight for his third win and Yankees prospect Jeremy Bleich won his second with six shutout innings.

Today’s top player award goes to Yonder Alonso who only had one hit, but he made it count.  The Reds’ ‘08 first rounder blasted his fourth HR, a grand slam, to help Sarasota overcome a six run deficit and defeat Charlotte 8-7.  Alonso started the season slowly, but has begun to hit better as of late batting .278 with 3 HR and 16 RBI in his last 10 games.  The plate discipline is there (7 BB/10 K), which is a prime indicator that the bat will continue to sizzle and his current batting average of .219 will soon be a thing of the past.

High-A Player of the Day—YONDER ALONSO

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Brandon Crawford—2-5 3B R
• Nick Noonan—1-3 2 RBI BB
• Roger Kieschnick—2-4 HR(3) RBI 3B 2R
• James Shuck—3-3 2R RBi 2B 2 BB SB(6)
• James Castro—2-5 HR(3) RBI
• T.J. Steele—2-4 HR(1) 3 RBI
• Caleb Joseph—3-4 2 2B R SB(1)
• Jordan Danks—3-5 3R
• Pedro Alvarez—1-3 HR(4) RBI 2 BB 2R
• Freddie Freeman—1-5 HR(4) 2 RBI
• Emeel Salem—2-3 2R 2 BB SB(3)
• Cody Cipriano—2-4 2B R 3 RBI BB SB(1)
• Alex Buchholz—2-3 2B R BB
• Yonder Alonso—1-4 HR(4) 4 RBI
• Justin Reed—2-4 2 2B RBI R
• Darin Mastroianni—1-2 2R 3 BB 3 SB(12)
• Moises Sierra—1-4 4 RBI R
• Eric Thames—1-2 2B 2R 3 RBI
• Michael Stanton—1-3 RBI BB SB(1)
• Jesus Montero—2-4 2B RBI
• Austin Krum—3-4 2R BB
• Eric Farris—2-4 RBI 2 SB(8)
• Arlon Chambers—2-3 3B RBI BB R

Pitching:

• David Bromberg—4.2 IP 3H ER 2 BB 5K
• Jeremy Bleich—6 IP 3H BB 6K W(2-0)
• Kyle Winters—7 IP 3H BB 6K
• Jenrry Mejia—5 IP 5H 5K
• Ryan Searle—5 IP 2H BB 2K W(2-1)
• Charles Shirek—7 IP 4H BB 8K W(3-0)

6/27 AA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Birmingham’s beefy duo of Brandon Allen and Dayan Viciedo hit back to back jacks yesterday and the struggling Greg Halman hit HR number six.  Juan Francisco’s bat seems to be heating up as his 3-4 day raised his average to .224.  On the mound, Josh Lindblom got back into the win column by tossing five innings of four hit, one run ball for his second win and Birmingham’s Kyle McCullough pitched well over seven innings to earn his third win. 

Today’s top youngster is a repeat offender as Tampa Bay’s young outfielder Desmond Jennings displayed some of his promising power potential by hitting his third HR of the season, driving in three and scoring twice.  The 22 year old Jennings has boosted his average to .338 with 13 RBI and 6 SB, giving ample reason to be excited about the awesome numbers that he could put up over a full (and hopefully healthy) season.

AA Player of the Day—DESMOND JENNINGS

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Brandon Snyder—2-4 2B R RBI
• Miguel Abreu—3-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 2B 3R SB(2) BB
• Alex Avila—2-4 2B 3B 2R BB
• Juan Francisco—3-4 R RBI SB(3)
• Chris Heisey—3-4 2B 2R
• Logan Parker—4-5 2B 2 RBI R
• Steve Clevenger—3-4 2B 3B 2 RBI
• Josh Bell—2-4 3B R
• Brandon Allen—1-5 HR(3) RBI
• Dayan Viciedo—3-4 HR(1) RBI SB(2)
• John Shelby Jr.—1-3 2B BB SB(4)
• Mark Hallberg—3-4 R
• Desmond Jennings—2-5 2R HR(3) 3 RBI
• Kody Kirkland—1-4 HR(2) RBI
• Adam Moore—2-4 2 2B R RBI
• Greg Halman—2-4 HR(6) 3 RBI
• Drew Locke—2-4 HR(4) 3 RBI
• Josh Horton—3-4 2B RBI R
• Adrian Cardenas—1-3 2B R 2 RBI BB SB(2)
• Daryl Jones—2-4 2B 2R RBI BB SB(4)
• Brett Wallace—2-4 R RBI
• Dan Delasco—2-5 2 3B RBI R
• Jose Duarte—2-5 2R RBI
• Mario Lisson—2-4 2R 2 RBI BB SB(2)
• Joe Dickerson—1-3 2B 2R RBI BB
• Ryan Mount—2-5 RBI
• Mark Trumbo—2-5 R
• Mike McKenry—2-3 3B 2R RBI
• Eric Sogard—1-3 R 2 BB
• Mitch Canham—1-2 R 2 BB

Pitching:

• Will Inman—6 IP 4H BB 7K W(1-1)
• Wilfredo Perez—1.1 IP 4K Sv(4)
• Josh Lindblom—5 IP 4H ER 4K W(2-2)
• Kyle McCullough—7 IP 7H 2 ER 2 BB 2K W(3-1)